Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Warrandyte Gardens Care Community is 3.71 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
96% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 209 vs 223 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% across other homes.
Sources and Explanation
This is a programmatic interpretation of published data, not an in-person inspection or a separate expert-assigned score. The figures are the Elderberry Index and its four government component ratings; a measure the home has no published rating for is left out. Our rating methodology.
Ratings: August 2026. Survey comparisons: 2026 interview responses from that extract. Other Australian homes in the same ratings extract; survey comparisons also require the same interview year. Each eligible home has equal weight; missing/invalid values excluded. These are descriptive comparisons, not resident-weighted or adjusted for differences in care needs.
How findings are selected
Survey gaps of at least 3 percentage points, rating gaps of at least 0.3 stars, and changes of at least 10 percentage points can qualify. These are editorial selection thresholds, not tests of statistical significance. Benchmarks need at least 30 homes. Each side shows up to three eligible findings; missing values never become negative findings. Specific combined food evidence and sustained care-target results are prioritised, then larger differences. Respect and caring are grouped when both qualify.
Food spending uses the My Aged Care sector median for Jan–Mar 2026; resident enjoyment comes from the 2026 survey. The combined finding reports two separate observations from different reporting periods; it does not establish that spending caused the survey result. Year-to-year survey samples may differ and respondent counts are unavailable. Care consistency uses the latest four submitted, quality-checked care-minute records and direct RN minutes without EN top-up.
A lower compliance rating is a comparison with other homes, not a claim of an active sanction. Higher expenditure alone is not treated as better care. Unadjusted clinical incident measures are not used to rank quality here.
My Aged Care home profile · Government Star Ratings extract
Benchmark populations
| Measure | Mean | Other homes |
|---|---|---|
| Elderberry Index | 3.81 | 2365 |
| Residents’ experience | 3.62 | 2434 |
| Compliance | 4.83 | 2395 |
| Staffing | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Warrandyte Gardens Care Community provide?
Warrandyte Gardens Care Community reported 209 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 14 minutes below its target of 223 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did Warrandyte Gardens Care Community meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 206 to 217.
Who provides that care?
Of the 209 minutes, personal care workers provided 151 (72.2%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 20.6%) and enrolled nurses (15 minutes, 7.2%). Warrandyte Gardens Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Warrandyte Gardens Care Community spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Warrandyte Gardens Care Community in the 2024–25 financial year was $292.54 per resident per day, 10% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $472.66 per resident per day. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($68.17), cleaning and laundry ($32.69) and administration ($29.11) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($161.99) and registered nurses ($65.02).
What is the food like at Warrandyte Gardens Care Community?
When residents surveyed at Warrandyte Gardens Care Community for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 67% answered “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 67.3% average across other homes. The share rose from 66% in 2025. Another 29% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Food spending at Warrandyte Gardens Care Community in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.18 per resident per day, 36% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Warrandyte Gardens Care Community reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. All meals are prepared on site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
67% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Warrandyte Gardens Care Community?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 96% of residents surveyed at Warrandyte Gardens Care Community answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 8.9 percentage points above the average of 87.1% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%) and whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.4%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 52% answered “always”, 33% “most of the time” and 14% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Warrandyte Gardens Care Community were asked whether they feel safe, 95% answered “always” and 5% “most of the time”.
